Polestar: Australia’s fuel security will sustain EV demand

Luxury EV brand Polestar has seen demand soar in the wake of the current Iran conflict which has sent petrol and diesel costs skyrocketing. Even should the conflict resolve, however, Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard believes the vulnerability of local fuel supplies will be present in consumer’s minds and expects increased EV demand to continue even after the cessation of the current issues.

“We’ve seen a real surge in interest,” Maynard told carsales at the recent Melbourne motor show.

“We’ve seen test drives triple, we’ve seen orders go through the roof and we’ve seen foot traffic in showroom just really, really accelerate.

“A surge of interest in EVs, which is good; disappointing that it’s come off the back of overseas tragedy, but it’s still really important to now see that electric vehicles have made it to the top of people’s shopping lists.”

Being a higher-end brand – the cheapest Polestar is the 2 Long Range Single Motor at $66,400 plus on-road costs – Maynard views the increased interest as a result of Australia’s fuel security rather than financial constraints.

“What’s happened recently has really thrown the light on Australia’s fuel security. So the fact that we hold approximately 30 days’ supply is now etched in Australian minds and it was unknown to us before,” he said.

“So the vulnerability of that is now right at the fore, and I think that’s what’s driven demand that will be here long after the current set of circumstances subsides.

“It’ll be interesting to see how much of this interest sticks with us. It’s probably less about fuel cost and cost of living [for Polestar] and more about that security issue.”

Polestar enjoyed significant sales growth both globally (+36%) and locally (+38%) in 2025, though earned plenty of headlines with around $2 billion in losses in the first three quarters.

Maynard has previously told media he didn’t view this sales trajectory as sustainable, but Polestar’s Australian sales are already up 19.5 per cent year-on-year before the surge in orders has really taken effect.

Its existing range of the 2, 3 and 4 will be bolstered in 2026 by the arrival of the 5 grand tourer; the first Polestar built on a dedicated platform. Starting at $171,000 plus on-road costs and rising to $193,100 for the Performance, it will battle with the Audi e-tron GT, BMW i5 and Porsche Taycan.

While none of those vehicles have been roaring sales successes, Maynard is confident the 5 – which offers up to 650kW/1015Nm and 0-100km/h in 3.2 seconds – will find its place.

“This car is built for drivers; it’s a super exciting package,” he said.

“The design of it is really quite stunning and it’s an EV offered from a brand that has heritage in sport, that has a huge backing and a great history.

“So I think it’s a car that comes with a story. This is everything Polestar does best on four wheels and so I think that’s going to resonate.”

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